Travis Allen, John Chiang, John Cox, Delaine Eastin, Gavin Newsom, and Antonio Villagairosa answer questions about why they are qualified to be the next governor of California. Hosted by NBC Bay Area and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation on May 8, 2018.

This is part 2 of a 2 part debate. In this segment, they asnwer questions related to statewide issues.

Travis Allen, John Chiang, John Cox, Delaine Eastin, Gavin Newsom, and Antonio Villagairosa answer questions about why they are qualified to be the next governor of California. Hosted by NBC Bay Area and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation on May 8, 2018.

This is part 1 of a 2 part debate. In this segment, they asnwer questions related to bay area issues.

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American Solidarity PartyMike Maturen, 2016 presidential candidate of American Solidarity PartyJohn Martignoni, Founder and President of Queen of Heaven Catholic Radio and the Bible Christian SocietyDr. James Hanink, contributing editor to the New Oxford Review and President of the American Maritain AssociationJoe Schriner, journalist, activist, and six-time independent presidential candidate

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My Top 3 Priorities

Defending California’s Values - As Governor, I will proudly continue to defend CA's leadership on LGBT/immigrant/worker rights, climate change, and sensible gun/marijuana laws & fight back against President Trump’s attempts to take us backwards.

Creating California’s Opportunity – I will increase investment in our public schools, implement a new job-training system to properly equip our workers for the 21st century economy & keep pushing forward to reform our state’s criminal justice system.

Building California’s Future - As Governor, I’ll invest in affordable housing and other job-creating infrastructure, from roads, bridges and ports to wireless and broadband networks.

Experience

Biography

Gavin is widely recognized for his bold willingness to lead – repeatedly developing, advocating, and implementing innovative and groundbreaking solutions to some of our most challenging issues.

On a wide range of topics including same-sex marriage, gun safety, marijuana, the death penalty, universal health care, access to preschool, paid family leave, technology, criminal justice reform, sugary drinks, and the minimum wage, Gavin stuck his neck out and did the right thing, which often led to sweeping changes when his policies were ultimately accepted, embraced, and replicated across the state and nation.

Gavin’s top priorities are economic development (creating jobs and reducing poverty), education (increasing affordable access to quality schools at all levels), protecting the environment, and justice – ensuring California continues to lead by example while actively resisting any attempt by the Trump administration to take us backwards.

Gavin is married to Jennifer Siebel Newsom. They reside in Marin County with their four children Montana, Hunter, Brooklynn, and Dutch.

The son of William and Tessa, Gavin grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He attended Santa Clara University on a partial baseball scholarship, graduating in 1989 with a B.A. in political science.

After college, Gavin sold orthotics and worked as an assistant at a real estate firm. In 1991, Gavin recruited investors and founded PlumpJack, a wine shop, which he grew into a thriving enterprise of 21 businesses including wineries, restaurants, and hotels.

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My Top 3 Priorities

I’ve said again and again my top three priorities are high-wage jobs, high-wage jobs and high-wage jobs. That’s because economic opportunity and economic equality are the very foundation of the California Dream.

Lifting families out of poverty lowers crime, increases levels of health and even increases academic achievement in schools. Expanding the middle class helps heal the festering wound of income inequality.

High wage jobs creates dramatically more tax revenue – which we can invest in better schools, roads and rail, building more affordable housing, creating affordable and universal healthcare, and protecting our environment.

Experience

Experience

Profession:Public Policy Advisor; Former Mayor of Los Angeles

Council Member / Mayor, Los Angeles City Council (2005–2013)

Council Member, Los Angeles City Council — Elected position (2003–2005)

Assemblymember, California State Assembly (1994–2000)

Speaker of the Assembly, California State Assembly — Elected position (1998–2000)

Majority Leader, California State Assembly — Elected position (1996–1998)

Majority Whip, California State Assembly — Elected position (1994–1986)

Education

Peoples College of Law — J.D., Law (1981)

University of California, Los Angeles — B.A., History (1977)

Community Activities

Volunteer, Midnight Mission (1994–current)

Biography

I have spent my life advocating for the California Dream. Whether as a union organizer or as an elected official, I have worked tirelessly to open the doors of opportunity, fighting for fairness and justice. I was a community organizer and/or labor leader for twenty-five years prior to getting elected to office in 1994. I worked as an investigator at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (U.S. EEOC). I was also a steward, chief steward and president of AFGE, the union of record at the U.S. EEOC. From 1986-1987, I was an organizer/field representative with SEIU 1000. Later, I was a field representative/organizer with UTLA and a member of the staff union as well.

I am a progressive. I was an early supporter of marriage equality, years before it was championed by other Democrats. When others were silent or absent, I helped lead the fight against bigoted attacks like Prop. 187 and 209. As Speaker of the California State Assembly, I wrote one of the nation’s toughest assault weapon bans.

I am proud of my record of accomplishment and believe it distinguishes me from my opponents. While in the Assembly, I authored the Healthy Families bill, which provided health care to 750,000 children. I fought for class-size reduction and authored a $9 billion bond for school building and repair. I joint-authored the prevailing wage bill, which ensured that workers are paid a fair wage with adequate benefits. I fought for AB 60 to restore daily overtime pay for people who work more than eight hours a day.

While I served as Mayor, we doubled the number of high-performing schools and graduation rates went from 44% to 72%. We expanded the public transit system and, with Measure R, raised $40 billion for transportation projects, including new rail and bus lines. Los Angeles was the first big city to set a goal to become independent of coal by 2025 and during my tenure, we reduced overall greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 30 percent.

I have experience serving in both executive and legislative leadership roles. It is without question that serving as the mayor of the country’s second largest city has uniquely prepared me for the role of governor of the world’s sixth largest economy. Coupled with the experience of serving as the Assembly Speaker, working with legislative leaders and understanding the legislative process, my experience makes me exceptionally qualified to best serve as Governor. Throughout my career, I have earned a reputation for hearing all sides, making tough decisions and letting my colleagues, constituents and all stakeholders know why I made these decisions. Everyone might not always like it when I take a stand, but they will always know where I stand.

Individuals (2)

Questions & Answers

Questions from KQED and League of Women Voters of California Education Fund (5)

There is a shortage of affordable housing in California. How would you approach addressing California’s housing crisis? Please include specific proposals.

Answer from Antonio Villaraigosa:

One of the key problems facing Californians right now is the affordable housing crisis. It is estimated that in order to address our housing shortage we need 3.5 million homes by 2025. The good news is that a problem created by public policy can be fixed, in due time, with better public policy.

The first step should be to fully restore the ability of local governments to use redevelopment authorities to fund workforce and affordable housing for teachers, nurses, firefighters, seniors, low-income families and the homeless. For generations, redevelopment was a powerful public policy tool to make investments in economic development and housing. These agencies had the power to fund strategic local investments by capturing the increased tax revenues generated by new projects.

Beyond this initiative, we have to get smarter and faster in Sacramento. I’ll give you one simple example. We waive CEQA and provide exemptions to build football stadiums. If we can do that for stadiums, we should be able to modify it to build affordable housing and mass transit.

When I was Mayor we financed more than 2,500 permanent supportive housing units for the formerly homeless. And we partnered with the L.A. County Departments of Mental Health and Health Services to provide support for those residents. I also announced an ambitious plan to increase affordable housing for families. We set a goal: 20,000 new rental units for a family of four making up to $100,188 a year. Within four years, we not only met, but exceeded that goal.

We know what we need to do, but we also know it won’t be easy. We need to build dramatically more housing. We need to provide the mental health and substance abuse care to address the reasons so many people end up on the street. And we need to have the health care workforce to make this care a reality. We need to create more good jobs. And we need to keep fighting this fight even though it seems impossible – because basic human dignity tells us we do not leave our brothers and sisters on the streets.

California has some of the richest people in the country and some of the poorest. What would you do to reduce income inequality in California?

Answer from Antonio Villaraigosa:

Fighting poverty and income inequality is something I have done my whole life – because I have lived it. This is not something I heard about on a panel in Davos. This is not just some theory, this is my life.

I believe that poverty and income inequality are our biggest challenges. We are the 5th largest economy in the world, but have the highest effective poverty rate in the nation. That’s unacceptable and it’s why I intend to lead on the issues that are contributing to the crisis of poverty in our state, including creating high wage jobs, building more housing and rebuilding our infrastructure and education systems for the 21st Century.

High wage jobs are the top priority of my campaign. Creating high-wage jobs and expanding the middle class helps heal the festering wound of income inequality for all Californians.

What is so powerful about economic opportunity and economic growth is that they both create a virtuous circle. Lifting people out of poverty lowers crime, increases levels of health and even increases academic achievement in schools, because children in stable economic situations do better in school than children living in poverty. And certainly, creating high wage jobs creates dramatically more tax revenue – which we can invest in better schools, better roads and rail, creating affordable and universal healthcare, protecting our environment and any one of a number of pressing priorities.

I am fighting for an economy that creates more opportunity and more equality everywhere – not just in a few places along our coasts. I am doing this in a way that is grounded in fundamental truth and hard realities. I don’t think we make our state more progressive with press releases or empty promises. We make it more progressive with sound policies that help all Californians prosper.

Currently there isn't enough money in the state retirement system to pay for all the benefits promised to government workers. What would you do as Governor to address the state’s unfunded pension liability?

Answer from Antonio Villaraigosa:

This is one of the many issues we as a state are going to have to look at to ensure that working people are able to retire with dignity.

Earlier this year, it was reported that CalSTRS unfunded liability grew to $97 billion and its funding level dropped to nearly 64 percent. This is a critical and complicated issue, which is going to require a number of measures to fix. One thing I do know is that in 1998, the system was fully funded for the first time in its history because of increased state contributions. In order to do that again, we need to increase the state’s revenue, and the way to do that is to grow our economy. As Mayor, I worked with our City Administrator to make our pensions more sustainable, and I will do that as governor.

I think we can all agree that retirement benefits for public employees should be fair and sustainable. As unfunded liabilities continue to grow, we’re duty-bound to protect the next generation of public employees and the taxpayers who support them. I will work with our public employee unions to make sure we do.

How would you describe your feelings about charter schools? Are you in favor of any changes in the way the state governs charter schools?

Answer from Antonio Villaraigosa:

I support high-quality public schools and high-quality public charters. I think it’s important to support those public institutions, which are innovating and successfully educating our children. I don’t support for-profit charter schools. Additionally, we need to hold charter schools to the highest standards and not be afraid to revoke charters if those schools are failing.

Our goal is to lift up every kid and every school – whether a traditional public school or a public charter. And we need to do a better job of getting those two parts of our public education system to learn from each other. Charters are not the only answer, but they are one part of the answer when it comes to improving our schools.

Wealthy families can send their kids to private schools – or they can move to high-cost communities with excellent public schools. Low-income families don’t have the same opportunities unless there are high-quality public charter schools in their communities.

One of my chief opponents in the race for governor attacks charter schools, but he moved his family from a city to a high-cost suburb where there are excellent public schools. That was his choice. But none of us should try to deny that same opportunity to low-income families when it comes to public school options.

California and the federal government have disagreed about enforcement of immigration laws. Do you support California’s current ‘Sanctuary State’ law? If not, why not? Are there additional strategies that you would pursue as Governor?

Answer from Antonio Villaraigosa:

I grew up living side-by-side with undocumented immigrants. When I was young, I couldn’t speak a lick of Spanish, but I could hear the voices of those who lived on the edge and in the shadows. I have always stood up for them.Let’s be very clear here: immigrants are under attack by the Trump Administration. But we’ve been here before. With Props 187 and 209. And we stood together as a state to fight back and to protect EVERY Californian. And I was proud to take a leadership role in those fights.

Now we need to stand and defend Californians again. I’m proud we’re a sanctuary state – but we need to do more. We need more legal assistance for those who are targeted. If Trump wants to raid a schoolhouse, library or community center, he’s going to need a special warrant because he can’t just sweep up our state.

My record in defending immigrants is clear. I authored a bill, the contents of which were adopted as part of State Budget negotiations, which provided subsistence cash benefits to legal immigrants who lost eligibility for SSI/SSP (Supplemental Security Income/State Supplemental Program) benefits due to the enactment of federal and state welfare reform in 1996.I also worked to expand access to State Disability and Worker's Compensation benefits through the Uninsured Employers Fund to help immigrant workers.

If we succumb to Trump on DACA, we’re surrendering our next generation of leaders, educators, health care workers and more to the political machinations of the far right.

800,000 DACA recipients live in in the United States-- nearly 223,000 here in California. We need to stand and defend our people. I’m proud we’re a sanctuary state – but we need to do more. We need more legal assistance for those who are targeted. If Trump wants to raid a schoolhouse, library or community center, he’s going to need a special warrant because he can’t just sweep up our state.

These young people inspire me every single day for their bravery. We must protect them because we’re protecting the future of our state.

Who gave money to this candidate?

Contributions

Total money raised: $6,876,814

Top contributors that gave money to support the candidate, by organization:

1

Employees of Harborview Capital Partners

$58,400

1

Employees of Ildico, Inc.

$58,400

1

Employees of Samueli Foundation

$58,400

1

Tutor Perini and employees

$58,400

2

Blue Diamond Growers and employees

$51,478

More information about contributions

By State:

California 88.95%

New York 2.36%

Florida 2.28%

District of Columbia 1.15%

Other 5.26%

88.95%

By Size:

Large contributions (99.65%)

Small contributions (0.35%)

99.65%

By Type:

From organizations (36.49%)

From individuals (63.51%)

36.49%63.51%

Source: MapLight analysis of data from the California Secretary of State.

Political Beliefs

Political Philosophy

I am a progressive who believes in marriage equality, reproductive rights and protecting our environment. I also believe in gun control, abolishing the death penalty and three strikes. All of these are issues I have led on for decades. I fought to have same sex marriage included in the DNC platform when I was chair. I joined the legislature’s LGBT caucus the day it was formed by my friend and colleague Sheila Kuehl. I led rallies against Prop 8 and recorded Spanish language ads to oppose it. I did the same when anti-choice advocates pushed parental notification measures on our state ballot. In the legislature I authored the nation’s toughest assault weapons ban and lent my name to campaigns to end the death penalty and reform three strikes.

But I am also a progressive because I believe that we must close the widening gap of income inequality and lift more families into the middle class. We live in a progressive state, and we talk a lot about how we need to defend our progressive values and principles, but we must also take stock of how well we are actually doing to make economic progress a reality for the millions of Californians who have been left out or left behind. We can’t be truly progressive as a state unless we are actually making progress for everyone. Progressive isn’t a press release. Progressive isn’t being on all sides of the same issue. Progressive needs to be a consistent and successful focus on closing the gap between rich and poor by lifting more Californians into the middle class and keeping them there.

Position Papers

IMMIGRATION POLICY:

Summary

What Should We Do Next to Protect Our Immigrant Communities

For years now there has been a steady and unrelenting attack on immigrants and immigrant communities. Some of those attacks began in California beginning with the passage of Proposition 187 in 1994 which targeted undocumented persons. Fortunately, the judicial system prevented the more draconian parts of Prop. 187 from ever taking effect. Even more importantly, California has in recent years been the leader in enacting provisions protecting immigrants. California is home to almost two million undocumented persons and they are a vital part of our social and economic fabric.

Whether it was passing drivers licenses for undocumented persons, or ensuring in-state tuition for undocumented college students, Californians have sought to balance the reality of the overwhelming majority of undocumented persons who are simply working and providing for their families in our state with the need to remove persons who are serious criminal offenders. The constant vilification of immigrants as criminals and leeches on society has not succeeded in California as witnessed by the implementation in 2014 of the Trust Act which limited severely the holding of undocumented persons by state or city law enforcement for the sole purpose of allowing ICE agents to remove and deport those individuals. Making exceptions for serious felony and violent convictions the California legislature drew a line regarding cooperation with federal immigration enforcement officials. Moreover, California recently enacted a program to provide health insurance for undocumented children, with California legislators and voters making clear that they understand that immigrants are a vital and essential part of California’s economy and society.

With the election of President Trump, immigrants and California communities have come to find themselves in the cross-hairs of evermore intense attacks. Within weeks of the election of Donald Trump, California legislators sought ways to protect immigrants and families. That effort resulted in SB54 signed into law in October 2017. Building on the Trust Act, SB54:

Prohibits local law enforcement from automatically transferring people to federal immigration authorities, with some exceptions;

Protects against unconstitutional detentions by barring local law enforcement from holding someone in custody, beyond their release date, for immigration agents; and

Over the last months, ICE has stepped up enforcement in communities across the state, including efforts to arrest people in government buildings such as courthouses and conducting raids in cities deemed friendly to immigrants. The US Department of Justice has also sued the state of California, arguing that efforts to protect undocumented persons and immigrants is contrary to federal law. Local and county officials in cities like Los Alamitos and San Diego are contemplating joining the DOJ lawsuit, as some Californians share Trump’s panic regarding immigrants. Further, the Trump Administration has now decided to ask a citizenship question as part of the 2020 census, the purpose of which is to cause fear and reduce the response rate of immigrants and their families. Finally, the Trump Administration is now proposing to make it harder for lawful legal permanent residents and US citizen children to receive health and nutrition benefits for fear that receiving such benefits will prevent undocumented parents or family members from ever legalizing their immigration status.

In the months and years ahead, we must continue to find to ways to protect immigrants, families and our communities, as we wait for our nation’s leadership to fix finally our broken immigration system.

First, we must continue to increase the availability of legal counsel for all who are detained by immigration authorities. We should look to developing and supporting county level legal resource centers to coordinate and train both public and private, including non-profit agencies to provide legal counsel.

Second, as the Trump administration steps up and increases detention of those accused of violating immigration laws, we need to use all of our state’s powers to limit the expansion of detention centers and ensure the basic human rights of those detained. The state’s efforts to ensure compliance with human and civil rights resulted in the enactment of AB103 in June 2017, which authorized the state’s attorney general to monitor detention centers under federal contract. Stories continue to emerge of serious health and safety issues in various detention centers, especially those operated by private contractors and we must continue to work to ensure basic human and civil rights.

Third, we should also explore all legal avenues for ensuring that California speaks with one voice as it faces the virulent anti-immigrant policies of the Trump Administration. Our representative government debated long and hard over the last two decades on policies to protect immigrants. If elected officials and citizens disagree with the policy choices made in Sacramento, the way to change such policies is through elections, not to pick and choose which laws they will accept.

Finally, we must also do everything possible to reduce the fear and anxiety caused by the Trump administration by protecting the privacy of immigrants and their families. We need to ensure all data and information collected by social safety net programs and other governmental programs are firmly and securely protected from discovery by federal immigration agencies, whether a family applies for CalFresh or Medicaid tomorrow or answers the census in two years—the only walls we should build are those that protect immigrants and their families.

California must continue to demonstrate the moral leadership required of this moment. Our country’s history shows that even in the darkest times, whether it was the round-up of Japanese-Americans for internment during WWII or during the McCarthy era when witch hunts for Communists caused many people to lose their jobs and careers, there were always some Americans who stood strong and fought to protect our core American values of justice and fairness. They understood that what was being proposed was wrong and contrary to the very essence of America’s values.

This moment is our generation’s call for moral courage. All of us are required to choose what side we will stand –not just elected officials, but regular citizens. Whether they take care of our children or our parents, clean our houses or offices, pick our fruits and vegetables or contribute in countless ways to California’s vibrant culture, society and economy, I ask you to join me and stand on the side of those who are our neighbors and part of our communities.

BACKGROUND

ROLE OF STATES AND CITIES IN IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT

Until 2002 it was well-settled law that the federal government had exclusive and full authority to enforce federal immigration law. Before then there were at least three opinions written by the US Department of Justice (“DOJ”), Office of Legal Counsel (“OLC”) which held that state and local law enforcement agencies lacked authority to enforce civil federal immigration laws. In the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, then Attorney General John Ashcroft began a process of re-examining those opinions and in 2002, OLC issued a secret opinion which reversed its prior opinions. DOJ/OLC concluded in the summer of 2002 that state and local police have “inherent” authority to enforce the civil provisions of federal immigration law. [2]

Our current debate over how much and under what circumstances state and local law enforcement agencies should cooperate with federal immigration agencies derives directly from that OLC policy pronouncement and the expansion of 287(g). In a very real sense, the confusion and tensions currently swirling around “sanctuary” cities and states arise from the monkey wrench that General Ashcroft threw into previously clear and defined roles.

To remind all, local and state law enforcement agencies have as their foremost and primary duty to keep the public safe from criminal actors and activity. As numerous law enforcement officials have argued since 2002, requesting or requiring local and state police to enforce immigration laws complicates their ability to do their primary job. Without the trust of the community, local police and sheriffs have a more difficult time identifying and arresting criminal actors, and are less able to respond to the needs of the community.

With 287(g) agreements between DHS and 76 state/local agencies in 20 in states as well as the broad “inherent” authority of state/local law enforcement agencies to enforce immigration law determined by the OLC opinion, it is no wonder that immigrant communities are terrified. The stepped up immigration enforcement under the Trump Administration has caused tremendous fear and anxiety in immigrant communities throughout our country. With California as home to almost 2 million undocumented persons, the fear and terror permeates communities large and small throughout our state.

One other key fact is the increased detention of undocumented persons. Trump has called for more detention and curtailing the so-called “catch and release” process of releasing immigrants after arrest for immigration violations.[3] Trump announced in October 2017 plans to increase immigration detention by requesting private companies to make proposals for the housing of adult immigrant detainees. Trump previously indicated that he wanted to detain and deport over 2 million undocumented persons. Moreover, Congress has mandated that ICE detain at least 34,000 people per day and in 2018, ICE wanted sufficient budget resources to detain 44,000 people per day.

Even before these announcements, questions were being raised regarding the conditions of those detained by ICE, by state and local jails under contract with ICE as well as private prisons.[4] The focus on illegal immigration has led to massive numbers of people in detention. In the mid-90’s, less than 7,000 were held by immigration authorities on a daily basis. Steadily increasing in the last 15 years, in fiscal year 2017, ICE detained an average of about 40,000 per day. Trump’s budget request for 2018 wanted to increase that number to over 51,000. This is happening at a time when border apprehensions along the southern border was 24% lower in 2017 than in 2016. Immigrants, many of whom have been in the country for over ten years, are now the focus of interior enforcement. Moreover, in the first three quarters of 2017, almost a third of those detained by ICE did not have criminal backgrounds.

Apart from deep concerns regarding health and safety in detention centers, especially those operated by private companies, the privatization of immigration detention means profit for some at the expense of the human rights of many.

Historically, in determining eligibility for legal permanent residency (“LPR”), the government has not considered use of Medicaid, CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program), or other non-cash benefits. In 1999, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (now part of DHS) issued guidance to clarify to specify that cash assistance or government funded long-term care could be considered in making the public charge determination, which can be a bar to obtaining legal immigrant status. The Trump Administration, however, has now proposed a rule to broaden the scope of the “public charge” bar: those lawfully present immigrants seeking to obtain LPR status or those seeking to immigrate lawfully into the USA would be barred from obtaining legal residency if they or their US born children utilized food stamps, Medicaid, CHIPS or WIC (Women, Infant and Children Nutrition Program).

This proposed rule which is under consideration by the Trump Administration suffers the same weaknesses that led to the 1999 clarifying guidance. The rule would increase confusion about public charge policies, “deter[ing] eligible aliens and their families, including U.S. citizen children, from seeking important health and nutrition benefits that they are legally entitled to receive. This reluctance to access benefits has an adverse impact not just on the potential recipients, but on public health and the general welfare.”[5]

Lastly, the Trump Administration’s decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census will increase anxiety and fear in immigrant communities. An undercount is almost guaranteed which will have severe impacts on the allocation of resources such as Medicaid, food stamps and other programs where allocations are based on population size, when so many of our families are of mixed status.

Candidate Contact Info

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My Top 3 Priorities

I will tackle California’s affordable housing crisis, including putting a roof over the heads of an additional 4 million low-income and middle-class Californians.

I will restore public education through free universal early childhood education, reducing class sizes, increasing per-pupil funding, providing 2 years of free community college, and reducing UC and CSU tuition by more than 40%.

I will stand up to the dangerous policies coming out of Washington and protect jobs here in California, invest in our crumbling roads and bridges, make health care more affordable, defend our immigrants, and continue the fight against climate change.

Experience

Experience

Profession:California State Treasurer

State Treasurer, State of California — Elected position (2015–current)

State Controller, State of California — Elected position (2007–2015)

Board Member, California State Board of Equalization — Elected position (1999–2007)

Board Member, California State Board of Equalization — Appointed position (1997–1999)

Questions & Answers

Questions from KQED and League of Women Voters of California Education Fund (5)

There is a shortage of affordable housing in California. How would you approach addressing California’s housing crisis? Please include specific proposals.

Answer from John Chiang:

It’s simply unaffordable to live in California anymore. A third of our state’s renters spend more than half of their earnings on housing costs. California is home to 12 percent of the nation’s population and 22 percent of the nation’s homeless. In a public survey last year, 60 percent of Californians said housing costs have forced their children and close friends to move away – and shockingly, a full 40 percent said they have someone in their immediate circle living on the streets. That’s why I’ve made affordable housing such an important priority in my time as Treasurer and in my campaign for governor. California needs to get serious about fixing our affordable housing crisis.

I’m already taking steps to address affordable housing right now. As Treasurer, I overhauled my office’s affordable housing programs, leading to an 80 percent increase in the number of homes built or rehabilitated since 2014. I also helped lead the coalition last year to fight for an affordable housing bond, and advocated for SB 2 and SB 3, placing a $4 billion housing bond on the ballot in 2018. But that $4 billion is just a down payment for what our state really needs.

I strongly believe we need to look at this issue holistically—from land use, to bonding authority, to redevelopment agencies, to housing development—if we’re going to solve this issue. Rent control needs to be a part of our affordable housing strategy, too. However, California is short an incredible 1.5 million units of affordable housing. We need to fix the supply issue if we want to stabilize and bring down housing costs. That’s why, within the decade, my goal is to place a roof over the heads of an additional four million low- and moderate-income Californians by investing additional public resources into affordable housing production and doubling local government permitting activity for all types of housing.

I’m running for Governor because I’m proud of my record fighting for creative and effective solutions to improve the lives of California families. I have consistently fought to protect California’s economy and build a better future for working people, so that all our kids have the opportunity to achieve their American Dream. This is one of those instances where California could benefit from my nearly 20 years of experience and my record of finding fiscally responsible ways to improve the lives of Californians.

California has some of the richest people in the country and some of the poorest. What would you do to reduce income inequality in California?

Answer from John Chiang:

California needs a governor with a proven track record of fighting for working families.

Look at my record. I stood up to Gov. Schwarzenegger when he tried to reduce the salaries of state employees to the minimum wage. I withheld the pay of our state lawmakers when they failed to pass a balanced budget on time, as required by the state constitution. And when Wells Fargo ripped off millions of Americans, I held them accountable for their predatory practices and cut them off from their most profitable line of business with the state.

1)We need to protect working families and their ability to provide for their families. . I proudly supported the Fight for $15 because every worker deserves to earn a living wage. It’s time we close the wage gap, ensure equal pay for equal work, expand paid family leave, and raise wages so workers can afford to care for their families. I also support expanding childcare and universal free early childhood education.

2)Tackling Affordable Housing- One third of our state’s renters spend more than half of their earnings on housing, and those statistics are much worse for communities of color. We must think big and act boldly to address a problem that has metastasized from a crisis to an economic and humanitarian crisis. Every Californian has a right to an affordable, decent place to call home.

3)Making Higher Education Affordable Again- Higher education creates ladders of opportunities for individuals to achieve their dreams and escape poverty. Unfortunately, the ability to afford higher education is becoming increasingly difficult for California families. As governor, I will fight to cut UC and CSU tuition by more than 40 percent over the next decade for in-state residents. My plan also calls for all Californians to have access to two free years of community college, and prioritizes Californians in the enrollment process for public colleges and universities.

4)Protecting Retirement Security- Nearly half of California’s workers are on track to retire with incomes below 200% of the federal poverty level. For this reason, I was one of the chief architects of Secure Choice, now called CalSavers, the most ambitious push to expand retirement security since the passage of Social Security in the 1930s. Despite efforts by the current Trump-era Congress to block CalSavers, as governor I will continue to push back and forge ahead with implementing this critical retirement savings plan for 7.5 million individuals.

California has tough issues we need to tackle. I have a proven track record of delivering concrete solutions to our state’s fiscal challenges. If California is going to continue to lead on the issues we care about, we need a governor who can manage our money. Voters can trust that I not only have a progressive vision, but you can also trust me to manage the world's sixth largest economy and fight to protect California's working people.

Currently there isn't enough money in the state retirement system to pay for all the benefits promised to government workers. What would you do as Governor to address the state’s unfunded pension liability?

Answer from John Chiang:

After a lifetime of hard work, every Californian deserves a secure retirement.

I strongly support defined-benefit pension plans for all workers, especially public employees who sacrifice higher wages in the private sector to serve our communities. I reject the idea that pensions are a thing of the past, and that lawmakers need to make a false choice between either increasing taxes to fund retirement benefits or else get rid of pensions altogether for public employees. That’s why, as an ex-officio board member, I’ve fought to protect benefits and improve the financial stability of the CalPERS and CalSTRS systems.

At a time when more and more Californians are facing an uncertain and unsecure retirement, we can’t exacerbate the problem by taking away pensions. Instead, we need to create a secure retirement for everyone. That’s why I helped create and now chair the CalSavers (Secure Choice) program, so that workers without a pension on the job still have access to a secure retirement. CalSavers has been described as the most significant change to retirement savings since Social Security was enacted in the 1930s, and will help up to 7.5 million Californians save for their retirement— with almost no cost to the state.

That’s not to say that we should avoid the tough questions about how to put our public pension systems on sounder footing. Those issues are absolutely necessary if we want to protect defined benefit pension plans in the future. But we cannot replace defined benefits plans with 401(k) defined contribution plans, which were only ever meant to be a supplemental way for workers to save for retirement. As someone who has held all three of the state's elected financial positions, and as a board member of our state public pension systems, I have a strong record of fighting to protect public pension benefits. I believe it is a moral imperative to ensure all seniors can retire with dignity. As governor, I will tackle these issues with the same sensible fiscal solutions I’ve offered my entire career.

How would you describe your feelings about charter schools? Are you in favor of any changes in the way the state governs charter schools?

Answer from John Chiang:

Whether we like it or not, charter schools are here to stay. The best charters provide a laboratory for experimentation and allow students and parents to explore varied educational options not provided in the mainstream public schools. Some charters do an outstanding job of preparing students for college—just as traditional schools and magnets do.

However, charter schools are public schools. They need to be transparent and held accountable in the same way that traditional schools are. Charter schools should be subject to the Brown Act and state conflict of interest standards. Charter schools must be operated in the interest of the students of the district as a whole; we must avoid creating a two-tiered educational system where all of the most motivated and ambitious families abandon traditional schools. Charter schools should remain neutral and not oppose efforts by its employees to form or join a union if they so choose. At the same time, school districts must recognize the innovative education opportunities charters provide and work to offer the same types of programs and alternatives.

In the end, we want every student to have an equal opportunity to pursue their dreams. As governor, I will continue to boldly lead on this issue and do whatever it takes to bring transparency, accountability and fairness to California’s charter schools.

California and the federal government have disagreed about enforcement of immigration laws. Do you support California’s current ‘Sanctuary State’ law? If not, why not? Are there additional strategies that you would pursue as Governor?

Answer from John Chiang:

My parents came to this country with virtually nothing, dreaming of a better future for their family. My father came here with just three shirts, two pairs of pants, and hardly anything in his pocket. And despite the taunts and the ugly racial slurs, my family never gave up believing in the American Dream— just like the millions of other immigrants that come to this country believing in that dream.

California has long paved the way in the national battle for immigrant rights.

I supported SB 54, California’s sanctuary state bill, and I will defend it as governor. I strongly believe it is not the job of our state, county and local law enforcement officers to turn the cogs on President Trump’s deportation machine. I will explore all legal routes and provide legal assistance to ensure all individuals have access to legal defense. We can’t let the federal government tear families apart and build walls to separate us.

And we must fight to keep this country’s promise to Dreamers — like the young woman on my staff, who joined our campaign as an intern from UCLA. We were able to hire her after she graduated. Now Dreamers are back in legal limbo because of President Trump. Congress must protect our DACA kids and pass a Dream Act.

As governor, I will fight for Congress to adopt a long-term solution to fix our broken immigration system. First and foremost, we need an immigration reform plan that gives immigrants a path to citizenship. We can’t keep workers in a temporary status forever. For those immigrants working in our country through a guest worker visa, many are shackled to their abusive employers for fear that that their visa may be revoked. Immigrants should have the right to report abuses from their employers and to change jobs without risking their visa status or risk deportation. We must do more to fix the system so we’re not creating and perpetuating a permanent subclass of marginalized immigrant workers.

Who gave money to this candidate?

Contributions

Total money raised: $6,250,454

Top contributors that gave money to support the candidate, by organization:

1

MWM Global Holdings

$58,400

1

Northern California Carpenters Regional Council

$58,400

1

Employees of ThinkTank Learning

$58,400

1

United Nurses Associations of California Union of Health Care Professionals

$58,400

2

JLJ (USA) Properties LLC

$57,312

More information about contributions

By State:

California 92.15%

New York 2.85%

Nevada 1.13%

District of Columbia 0.91%

Other 2.95%

92.15%

By Size:

Large contributions (98.05%)

Small contributions (1.95%)

98.05%

By Type:

From organizations (33.78%)

From individuals (66.22%)

33.78%66.22%

Source: MapLight analysis of data from the California Secretary of State.

Candidate Contact Info

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My Top 3 Priorities

Invest in education, cradle through career.This means:prenatal care,paid maternity & paternity leave,affordable childcare and universal preschool,move CA to the top 10 in per pupil spending for K-12,build more colleges,make college tuition free again

Housing for the homeless & affordable housing for ALL: emergency moratorium on large rent increases and no cause evictions; rapid re-housing for our homeless and build one million affordable homes in eight years with a concentration near transit hubs

Improve the health and safety of all Californians: pass SB562 - universal healthcare; combat climate change and provide clean air and water for all, criminal justice reform and gun violence protection.

Questions & Answers

Questions from KQED and League of Women Voters of California Education Fund (5)

There is a shortage of affordable housing in California. How would you approach addressing California’s housing crisis? Please include specific proposals.

Answer from Delaine Eastin:

We have the lowest percentage of homeowners of any state in the country. We have the oldest children living at home with their parents. Roughly 33% of renters spend half their income on housing. Not only is this costing our economy billions, Delaine understands that it is just plain wrong to force so many families into poverty when it is a fixable solution. We must:
1. Provide housing for the homeless & affordable housing for ALL. Inequality is growing, with one in four children living in poverty. Our high poverty rate is partially caused by the high cost of housing in California. It will take years for us to build our way out of this situation, which means we need to take immediate steps to build more housing to curb the loss of our current affordable housing stock, including rental housing, while we look to build a million or more affordable units in eight years.
a. There needs to be an emergency moratorium on large rent increases and no cause evictions. We must repeal Costa Hawkins and implement emergency legislation to create and build more affordable housing as well as to restrict rent increases and condominium conversions while we deal with the severe housing shortage. We cannot afford to let the problem get worse while we seek long term solutions.
b. Rapid re-housing for our homeless: Our homeless crisis affects us all. From deadly outbreaks of hepatitis to massive increases in sexual assault, child abuse and domestic violence, the situation is dire and needs focused coordination between agencies so that people can secure shelter while we build our way out of this crisis. This includes a large expansion of housing vouchers, eliminating housing discrimination, and using hotels, motels, tiny houses and cooperative housing to help people get immediate shelter.
c. Build one million affordable homes in five years with a concentration near transit hubs -- We need a statewide housing plan that links housing, jobs and transit with both carrots and sticks to ensure implementation. Cities that haven’t met their obligations to provide workforce housing should be forced to supplement the costs for transit in the short run, to improve mass transit accessibility, and to expand affordable workforce housing for people who work in that community or that region. We must focus attention on building more affordable housing near transportation hubs.

California has some of the richest people in the country and some of the poorest. What would you do to reduce income inequality in California?

Answer from Delaine Eastin:

There used to be an old adage, an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay (at least if you were a white male.) When Delaine was young, 30% of the country was unionized, including her own as her father was a machinist, and the middle class thrived. Over the past several decades, productivity has skyrocketed and corporations have made billions, but more and more is being hoarded at the top as union membership has fallen to historic lows. Today, only 10% of the country is in a union, and Janus vs. AFSME threatens to lower this even further.

Over the decades, workers have seen reduced or stagnated compensation, all while living costs such as housing, healthcare, childcare and education have skyrocketed. This is unsustainable. California must have a full court press on the issues of income inequality.

This means working to lift wages, pay equity for women, helping families secure affordable housing, childcare and preschool that doesn’t cost the same as a mortgage, healthcare for all, providing excellent k-12 education and free college tuition again.

Whether you’re a machinist in Modesto, a teacher in Tulare, a laborer in Los Angeles or a techie in Silicon Valley, California needs to be a place where you can buy a home, send your kids to college, and live a comfortable retirement.

Currently there isn't enough money in the state retirement system to pay for all the benefits promised to government workers. What would you do as Governor to address the state’s unfunded pension liability?

Answer from Delaine Eastin:

There used to be an old adage, an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay (at least if you were a white male.) When Delaine was young, 30% of the country was unionized, including her own as her father was a machinist, and the middle class thrived. Over the past several decades, productivity has skyrocketed and corporations have made billions, but more and more is being hoarded at the top as union membership has fallen to historic lows. Today, only 10% of the country is in a union, and Janus vs. AFSME threatens to lower this even further.

Over the decades, workers have seen reduced or stagnated compensation, all while living costs such as housing, healthcare, childcare and education have skyrocketed. This is unsustainable. California must have a full court press on the issues of income inequality.

This means working to lift wages, pay equity for women, helping families secure affordable housing, childcare and preschool that doesn’t cost the same as a mortgage, healthcare for all, providing excellent k-12 education and free college tuition again.

Whether you’re a machinist in Modesto, a teacher in Tulare, a laborer in Los Angeles or a techie in Silicon Valley, California needs to be a place where you can buy a home, send your kids to college, and live a comfortable retirement.

How would you describe your feelings about charter schools? Are you in favor of any changes in the way the state governs charter schools?

When I was in the Assembly I authored one of the first charter school bills as charters were being proposed. My bill had more oversight, including requiring teachers to be credentialed and greater accountability. Unfortunately, the Republican governor signed a colleague’s bill which had little accountability and is in part responsible for the problems we have today. Some charters cherry pick high achievers and do not accept special needs students, while others find excuses to expel or turn away low achieving children. Because of lax accounting requirements, some charters have redirected taxpayer dollars to charters that are not following the auditing standards regular public schools are held to. The fact that one-third have gone out of business is telling. We must have a moratorium on new charter schools and tighten up the oversight and ensure they are not allowed to buy public lands or public buildings, buy the principal a convertible, as did happen, or to charge children from another country $30,000 a year to attend a charter high school while guaranteeing the families there would be guaranteed admission to UC Berkeley upon graduation, as happened in Livermore.

California and the federal government have disagreed about enforcement of immigration laws. Do you support California’s current ‘Sanctuary State’ law? If not, why not? Are there additional strategies that you would pursue as Governor?

Answer from Delaine Eastin:

"Our Dreamers and our DACA Californians are as American as I am. And I am proud California became a sanctuary state." Delaine Eastin

Delaine's father was born in Kentucky and he was fond of saying that "Californians are people born somewhere else who came to their senses." In 2015, the most current year of data, 27% of California's population was indeed, born somewhere else. California is home to more than 10 million immigrants with half of California’s children having at least one immigrant parent.

California is the second most diverse state in the country, and Delaine considers it our greatest strength. Immigrants are the most entrepreneurial people in our country. They dream and do and sacrifice to give their children the American dream.

Delaine strongly supports California’s status as a Sanctuary State. She believes we must provide a path to citizenship for DACA recipients that includes granting protected status to their parents, and that the very idea that the government would betray these amazing young people by targeting their parents is anti-American. Family is everything.

Regarding workplaces, our state Attorney General has said the state will fine any business that voluntarily cooperates with ICE. As Governor, Delaine would certainly support this to make sure that our undocumented (and documented) workers are protected from the predatory behaviors we have witnessed the federal government take.

Under the Constitution, state and local governments have every right to refuse to help enforce federal law. In cases like Printz v. United States (1997) and New York v. United States (1992), the Supreme Court has ruled that the Tenth Amendment forbids federal “commandeering” of state governments to help enforce federal law. Most of the support for this anti-commandeering principle came from conservative justices such as the late Antonin Scalia, who wrote the majority opinion in Printz.

Throughout Delaine's career she has stood up for all Californians to live with dignity and to be treated with respect. As State Superintendent she stood strong against Governor Pete Wilson after the passage of Prop 187. He ordered Delaine to have teachers act as immigration agents. When Delaine said no he threatened to have her recalled. She joined the lawsuit against Prop 187 and they won. Delaine also opposed Propositions 209 and 227. In her race to serve a second term as Superintendent, she was specifically attacked for being a strong supporter of bilingual education.

Who gave money to this candidate?

Contributions

Total money raised: $1,112,844

Top contributors that gave money to support the candidate, by organization:

1

Delaine Eastin

$100,449

2

Employees of Ponderosa Homes

$15,250

3

Employees of University of California, Davis

$13,940

4

Employees of Health Evolution Partners

$10,100

5

Employees of Dr. Kathleen M. Welsh, MD

$10,029

More information about contributions

By State:

California 92.51%

Massachusetts 3.87%

Delaware 0.87%

Washington 0.73%

Other 2.02%

92.51%

By Size:

Large contributions (93.28%)

Small contributions (6.72%)

93.28%

By Type:

From organizations (4.17%)

From individuals (95.83%)

95.83%

Source: MapLight analysis of data from the California Secretary of State.

Education

Harvard University — Master of business administration, Business (2003)

Stanford University — Bachelor of arts, Economics; Political Science (1997)

Biography

Government works best when inspiring public servants do the people’s business with humility, enthusiasm, and skill. From Washington to Sacramento, we run into problems when politicians are allowed to buy their way into office and use their power for personal benefit. In order to run for office, I recently stepped down from the senior team at the California Department of Justice. As the DOJ’s Chief of Operations, I led a team of 1,000 dedicated public servants and managed an $850 million budget. The DOJ has locked up human traffickers, cracked down on polluters, protected immigrants’ rights, fought for women’s healthcare, shielded seniors from Medi-Cal fraud, and secured millions in student refunds from shady for-profit colleges. Prior to the DOJ, I was a math teacher in the Central Valley, a budget analyst for the City of San Jose, an economic policy adviser to Senator Feinstein, the first Latina Chief of Staff in US Senate history, and the National Political Director for a Presidential campaign. This gives me the deepest policy experience in the race, but mostly it shows that I’ve treated public service as a lifelong calling. Californians take pride in being on the frontiers of change in America. That’s why we can’t sit back any longer. We need fresh faces and new ideas this year. It’s time to shake things up. Learn more about our movement at www.amandarenteria.com.

Questions & Answers

Questions from KQED and League of Women Voters of California Education Fund (5)

There is a shortage of affordable housing in California. How would you approach addressing California’s housing crisis? Please include specific proposals.

Answer from Amanda Renteria:

Housing is one of the greatest challenges facing our state, and we must have every tool on the table. Having lived in all parts of our state, I also understand that there isn't any one-size-fits-all solution, as what works for San Francisco, won't be what works for the Central Valley, which won't be what works for L.A.

As governor I would also:

- Declare homelessness a State of Emergency in our hardest-hit cities in order to unlock new tools for immediately addressing homelessness

- Appoint a Housing Specialist that directly reports to the governor to establish a long-term housing plan - Expand tax credits and housing assistance for low-income and middle-class families

- Partner with cities and counties to solicit federal funds for housing development

California has some of the richest people in the country and some of the poorest. What would you do to reduce income inequality in California?

Answer from Amanda Renteria:

While there are many policies that California should enact to reduce the dangerous levels of income inequality and poverty, my top three priorities would be to:

Declare a State of Emergency on Homelessness and call for City Housing Plans across the state. We need every possible tool to combat the growing number of families on our streets. I will work with mayors, city councils, and housing experts on combating homelessness in the short term and creating long-term planning for a sustainable solution going forward.

Adopt single-payer, universal health coverage for every Californian. Our state should pave the way for single-payer, universal health coverage nationwide, ensuring that every Californian has coverage, driving down health care costs to levels comparable to every other advanced country in the world, and dramatically improving health outcomes.

Enact into state law President Obama’s overtime wage protections that have been undermined under Trump. Until President Obama’s update to the U.S. Department of Labor’s overtime wage protections, workers lost ground for decades as fewer and fewer were covered by overtime rules. California should put in place the Obama overtime regulations that President Trump has undermined and ensure the salary and compensation levels are updated automatically in order to maintain their value over time.

Currently there isn't enough money in the state retirement system to pay for all the benefits promised to government workers. What would you do as Governor to address the state’s unfunded pension liability?

Answer from Amanda Renteria:

Public sector workers deserve a secure pension that rewards their selfless public service. For too long, however, politicians have not made the contributions that they were required to in order to fully fund public retirement systems. It is critical that the state and local governments make their annual required contributions to pension funds so that the percentage of unfunded liabilities does not increase further. To ensure that state and local governments are contributing enough, I will work to review the assumed rate of return on pension assets to ensure that current expectations are realistic.

For the private sector, we need to ensure a strong implementation of CalSavers. Particularly, we need to ensure that California uses its huge negotiating power to lower fees down to levels comparable to the federal Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). Investment options should also be very simple, with target-date funds with the most appropriate mix of assets based on expected retirement dates.

How would you describe your feelings about charter schools? Are you in favor of any changes in the way the state governs charter schools?

Answer from Amanda Renteria:

It is critical that we hold charter schools accountable. I support requiring charter schools to protect against conflicts of interest and ensure good governance requirements. That includes increased fiscal monitoring of charter schools.

California and the federal government have disagreed about enforcement of immigration laws. Do you support California’s current ‘Sanctuary State’ law? If not, why not? Are there additional strategies that you would pursue as Governor?

Answer from Amanda Renteria:

I strongly support the package of bills recently enacted into law, including the Support Immigrant Worker Protection Act. Unfortunately, the Trump Administration is now waging an all-out attack against California’s efforts to protect its residents. As Governor, I would vigorously defend the State both in court and in the public. I would also continue to ensure that no state resources are used to help the federal government enforce unjust immigration laws. As the former Chief of Operations at California’s Justice Department, I know the importance of working with the Attorney General to ensure the Department has the resources it needs going forward.

I also strongly believe that every individual and family in California who are threatened by the enforcement of unjust immigration laws have access to immigration attorneys who will defend their rights. My administration will also increase social service supports to immigrants who face unprecedented threats from federal authorities. For example, the constant fear of deportation and the splitting up of families is damaging the health and well-being of immigrant communities. It is particularly urgent that we help children with the daily trauma that they are experiencing. Finally, California must continue to educate immigrants and their allies of their rights to resist federal immigration authorities.

Who gave money to this candidate?

Contributions

Total money raised: $112,471

Top contributors that gave money to support the candidate, by organization:

1

Employees of Phibro Animal Health Corporation

$29,200

2

Employees of Crowdpac

$22,500

3

Friends of Renteria

$15,480

4

Employees of Cane Investments, LLC

$3,500

5

Employees of Collegium Pharmacetical, Inc.

$2,500

5

Employees of Disney

$2,500

More information about contributions

By State:

California 40.82%

New Jersey 27.09%

Washington 16.72%

New York 4.88%

Other 10.49%

40.82%27.09%16.72%10.49%

By Size:

Large contributions (97.48%)

Small contributions (2.52%)

97.48%

By Type:

From organizations (14.45%)

From individuals (85.55%)

14.45%85.55%

Source: MapLight analysis of data from the California Secretary of State.

Political Beliefs

Political Philosophy

Californians have always taken pride in being on the frontiers of change, but the 2018 campaign cycle is shaping up to be truly unprecedented. From Virginia to Oklahoma, we’ve already seen a stunning wave of new energy sweep away longstanding patterns of electoral outcomes. Women, minorities, and young people are newly empowered and hungering for fresh faces. They’re demanding a new generation of more ethical leaders, and they won’t settle for anything less.

Amanda is the right candidate at the right time. Over nearly two decades, she has treated public service as a lifelong calling. She has proven that she is a dedicated public servant who is sincerely motivated to help others. Without exception, she has been a role model and inspiration to others.

From economics, to healthcare, to agriculture, she also has the broadest and deepest policy expertise of any candidate in the race. Crafting and negotiating effective policy for the world’s sixth largest economy is technically complex and involves diverse stakeholders. Californians will prefer a serious policymaker who has succeeded at the national level.

Meanwhile, campaigning has fundamentally changed in the last few years, primarily due to the rise of social media. While a candidate still needs resources to compete, the time and expense needed to win can be drastically lower for a candidate who understands and embraces the new reality. The new approach to campaigning is especially well suited to the newly empowered voting populations that are most naturally attracted to the Renteria campaign.

As Governor, Amanda Renteria will make politics about people again, and inspire a new generation.

Candidate Contact Info

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My Top 3 Priorities

Guarantee housing for all: Ban evictions • Overturn anti-tenant Costa-Hawkins and Ellis Laws • Healthcare for All: Support Single-Payer • Tax major companies, banks, military contractors for a pro-people state budget • Full rights for immigrants now

Experience

Biography

Gloria La Riva is a labor, community and anti­-war activist based in San Francisco, California. Born in Albuquerque, N.M., Gloria attended Brandeis University where she was active in affirmative action struggles.

Gloria has been a key organizer of many mass demonstrations and other actions opposing U.S. wars and occupation in Central America, Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, South Korea, Libya, Syria, Niger, and elsewhere.

Gloria has worked for decades to defend Cuba’s sovereignty and against the U.S. blockade. She was awarded Cuba’s Friendship Medal in 2010, approved by the Council of State, for her many years of Cuba solidarity, and is the national coordinator of the Cuba and Venezuela Solidarity Committee.

Gloria has traveled to Venezuela many times since the election of Hugo Chávez to president in 1998, most recently in March 2018. She has engaged in discussions with leading members of the Bolivarian Revolution, including the late president, as well as current President Nicolás Maduro.

Gloria has been active in the struggle for immigrant rights, organizing for and speaking at many mass marches in California over the past 30 years. In the early 1990's, she was the initiator of the Farmworkers Emergency Relief campaign, following a disastrous freeze that left tens of thousands of Central Valley agricultural workers with no income.

Gloria organized support for the Black Fire Fighters Association in their struggle to end racist and sexist discrimination in the San Francisco Fire Department in the 1980's.

A long­time supporter of LGBTQ rights, Gloria participated in the first National March for Lesbian and Gay rights in 1979 and subsequent national marches. She joined in the marches and rallies protesting the passage of the anti­-marriage­ equality Prop 8 in California. She has joined picket lines defending women’s reproductive health clinics.

In 1998 Gloria produced the award­-winning video, Genocide by Sanctions: The Case of Iraq, documenting the effects of the U.S./UN blockade on Iraq. In 1999, she traveled twice to Yugoslavia with former U.S. attorney general Ramsey Clark, at the height of the U.S./NATO bombing war, producing the video, NATO Targets. In September 2005, six days after Hurricane Katrina, Gloria traveled to New Orleans, producing the video Heroes Not Looters. In 2014, she traveled to Ferguson during the uprising there in the wake of the police murder of Michael Brown.

Gloria is a contributor for LiberationNews.org, where she has written extensively on Latin America and many other issues.

Who gave money to this candidate?

Contributions

More information about contributions

Source: MapLight analysis of data from the California Secretary of State.

Political Beliefs

Political Philosophy

In 1994 and 1998, Gloria was Peace & Freedom Party’s candidate for governor of California. She ran as a socialist candidate for mayor of San Francisco in 1983, finishing third overall and second in every working­-class neighborhood. She was the 2008 and 2016 presidential candidate of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Peace and Freedom Party and the Liberty Union Party. She is the elected First Vice-President of the Pacific Media Workers Guild, Communications Workers of America, Local 39521.

8.-Invest in renewable energy thus creating jobs and at the same time protecting our enviroment.

9.-Create jobs for our disadvantaged young citizens.

Currently there isn't enough money in the state retirement system to pay for all the benefits promised to government workers. What would you do as Governor to address the state’s unfunded pension liability?

Answer from J. Bribiesca:

We need pension Reform, otherwise sooner or later California is going to be bankrupt!

How would you describe your feelings about charter schools? Are you in favor of any changes in the way the state governs charter schools?

Answer from J. Bribiesca:

What we need is to make our public schools better instead of finding alternatives.

California and the federal government have disagreed about enforcement of immigration laws. Do you support California’s current ‘Sanctuary State’ law? If not, why not? Are there additional strategies that you would pursue as Governor?

Answer from J. Bribiesca:

We cannot continue this division of State and federal, we need to work together for the benefit and safety of our citizens. We are a country of laws and due process and we must obey our laws, but also we are a country that helps everyone. What we need is to invest more money at the federal level so we can make our immigration system more efficient so we can process people more quickly especially people that are here like the dreamers and others like them that are here without documents, so that they are given an opportunity to stay legally in the US. If they could prove that they are good citizens they can stay legally in our country. But we have to do it with more compassion and understanding and try not to separate families.

Who gave money to this candidate?

Contributions

Total money raised: $3,297

More information about contributions

By State:

California 100.00%

100.00%

By Size:

Large contributions (97.06%)

Small contributions (2.94%)

97.06%

By Type:

From organizations (0.00%)

From individuals (100.00%)

100.00%

Source: MapLight analysis of data from the California Secretary of State.

Candidate Contact Info

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Thank candidate for sharing their information on Voter's Edge.

My Top 3 Priorities

Modernize the 1957 state water policy: implement water recycling to increase water stock in all city reservoirs, "light desalination" (the way the sun makes clouds), ban fracking, ban water bottling for private profit.

Afforable housing: regulate AirBnB hotel-systems such that the owner must live in the house for at least 6 months a year, repeal Costa Hawkins, build public housing.

Abolish private prison slavery & end mass incarceration. Free everyone who is in prison for crimes which are no longer illegal.

Experience

Experience

2016 Transhumanist Party Presidential nominee, Transhumanist Party — Elected position (2015–2016)

Education

Columbia University — Bachelor of Arts, Philosophy and Religion (current)

Community Activities

Advisor, Transhumanist Party (2016–current)

Biography

Zoltan Istvan is often considered the world’s leading transhumanist and a top Libertarian futurist. Zoltan began his futurist career by publishing The Transhumanist Wager, an award-winning, #1 bestseller in Science Fiction and Philosophy. The libertarian-minded novel has been compared to Ayn Rand’s work many times in major media and was a Top 5 Amazon book. During the 2016 elections, Zoltan interviewed with Gary Johnson to potentially be his preferred Vice Presidential running mate. Zoltan is also a well known technology journalist and a former filmmaker for the National Geographic Channel. As a successful entrepreneur, The New Yorker cited Zoltan made a "small real estate fortune." Zoltan also has executive experience via his former position as a director at a major wildlife nonprofit, WildAid. In total, Zoltan’s public work has received hundreds of millions of views, much of it through his political activism. He is running for California Governor for the Libertarian Party in 2018. Zoltan has spoken at the World Bank, the World Economic Forum, Microsoft, and been the opening Keynote at the Financial Times Camp Alphaville. He is a graduate of Columbia University, and lives in San Francisco with his physician wife and two young daughters. In a 5000-word feature on Zoltan, The New York Times wrote Zoltan is “polite and charismatic” and has a “plausibly Presidential aura.”

Who supports this candidate?

Organizations (1)

Questions & Answers

Questions from KQED and League of Women Voters of California Education Fund (5)

There is a shortage of affordable housing in California. How would you approach addressing California’s housing crisis? Please include specific proposals.

Answer from Zoltan Istvan:

There's a shortage for one reason and one reason only: Government regulation of the building industry is out of control. I made my money in real estate I know how difficult and practically insane it is to get anything done. The California housing crisis can be fixed by eliminating 75% of the regulation for builders. Only keep the most essential safety requreiments. Within a few years, a great majority of the housing woes will be over. And of course there will be a boom for the CA economy too.

California has some of the richest people in the country and some of the poorest. What would you do to reduce income inequality in California?

Answer from Zoltan Istvan:

I am a Gubernatorial candidate that supports a basic income. Mine is called a Federal Land Dividend, and it monetizes unused Federal land to pay a monthly basic income. California has 10 to 20 trillion dollars worth of Federal land. I say lease 75% of it to big business, and pay out the interest to Californians. If 75% of the Fed land is leased out at going prices, that would general approximately $5400 per month per California household. Poverty would forever be eliminated, and so would income inequality.

Currently there isn't enough money in the state retirement system to pay for all the benefits promised to government workers. What would you do as Governor to address the state’s unfunded pension liability?

Answer from Zoltan Istvan:

I would make a promise to pay all agreed pensions, but stop any new type of benefits. Quite simply, we need to be more fiscally responsible, and that begins with hard choices. But for those pensions that exist, I would utilize federal land and monetize it to help pay for existing pension concerns and liabilities. I would absolutely not raise taxes.

How would you describe your feelings about charter schools? Are you in favor of any changes in the way the state governs charter schools?

Answer from Zoltan Istvan:

I would highly encourage charger schools, and I believe that if a tax payer pays into the system, then the certain part of that money should go towards the education opportunities of their choice, including charter school, public education, private schooling, etc. We need more control of our educational choices.

California and the federal government have disagreed about enforcement of immigration laws. Do you support California’s current ‘Sanctuary State’ law? If not, why not? Are there additional strategies that you would pursue as Governor?

Answer from Zoltan Istvan:

I support California being a sanctuary state, and I would encourage far more open border policies. I have easily the most open border policies of any CA gubernatorial candidate--and I propose better technology to monitor people so we can keep tabs on who comes across the border. Ultimately, I simply believe people should live where they want. But I would not give any welfare resources to the illegal immigrants, and I will not allow homelessness. You are welcome to come to California, but you must not be a burden on the state, nor be a burden on the public.

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Contributions

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Source: MapLight analysis of data from the California Secretary of State.

Political Beliefs

Political Philosophy

Like many entrepreneurs, I became a libertarian because of one simple concept: reason. It just made sense to embrace a philosophy that promotes maximum freedom and personal accountability. “Hands off” was my motto—and in business, if you wanted to succeed, those words are sacred. But “hands off” applies to more than just good entrepreneurial economics. It applies to social life, politics, culture, religion, and especially how innovation occurs.

I’ve been a passionate science and technology guy—an advocate of radical innovation—ever since I can remember. In college, I focused on the ethics and challenges of science for my Philosophy degree. But my stories for National Geographic and my witnessing of the Great Recession viscerally reminded me that government and the growing fundamentalism in Congress was desperately trying to control innovation and progress—even at the expense of people’s health, safety, and prosperity. With plenty of free time after the sale of my business to mount a challenge, I decided to take science and technology into the public and political realm; I decided to make a run for the U.S. presidency in 2016 as the self-described “science candidate.”

I knew I couldn’t win the election, but it was a great way to awaken many Americans to the desperate plight of our country’s increasingly stifled science and innovation sector. My experience in media has helped propel my candidacy. I spoke at the World Bank, appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, was interviewed by the hacker collective Anonymous, and consulted for the U.S. Navy about technology, among other things. Even 2016 Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson invited me to interview as his possible vice president. Alone in his New Mexico house, we talked shop for 24 hours solid. He chose Governor Bill Weld as his VP, but I left Johnson knowing I would soon be making a stand for the Libertarian Party.

Due to the fact I was arguably the first visible science presidential candidate in American history, I ran a very centric, science and tech-oriented platform, one that was designed to be as inclusive of as many political lines as possible. With leadership comes some compromise, and I veered both right and left (mostly left) to try to satisfy as many people as I could, even when it meant going against some of my own personal opinions. I believe a politician represents the people, and he or she must never forget that—or forget the honor that such a task carries.

One thing I didn’t stray from was my belief that everything could be solved best by the ‘scientific method’—the bastion of reason that says a thing or idea works only if you can prove it again and again via objective, independent evaluation. I’ll always be a pragmatic rationalist, and reason to me is the primary motivator when considering how to tackle problems, social or otherwise. I continue to passionately believe in the promise of using reason, science and technology to better California and the world. After all, the standard of living has been going up around the globe because of a singular factor: more people have access to new science and technology than ever before. Nothing moves the world forward like innovation does.

Yet, in the political climate of 2018, few things seem more at risk as innovation. A conservative, religious government stands to overwhelm California with worries about radical tech and science, such as implementing Federal regulation that stifles artificial intelligence, driverless cars, stem cells, drones, and genetic editing.

Sadly, the same could be said of immigration, women’s rights, and environmental issues. Then there’s America’s move towards expanding its already overly expensive military, which you and I pay for out of our pockets so that generals can fight far-off wars. America can do better than this. California can do better than this.

And we must. After all, the world is changing—and changing quite dramatically. Even libertarians like me face the real possibility that capitalism and job competition—which we always advocated for—won’t survive into the next few decades because of widespread automation and the proliferation of robot workers. Then there’s the burgeoning dilemma of cyber security and unwanted tracking of the technology that citizens use. And what of augmenting intelligence via genetic editing—something the Chinese are leading the charge on, but most Americans seem too afraid to try? In short, what can be done to ensure the best future?

Much can be done. And I believe it can all be done best via a libertarian framework, which is precisely why I am declaring my run for 2018 California governor. We need leadership that is willing to use radical science, technology, and innovation—what California is famous for—to benefit us all. We need someone with the nerve to risk the tremendous possibilities to save the environment through bioengineering, to end cancer by seeking a vaccine or a gene-editing solution for it, to embrace startups that will take California from the world’s 7th largest economy to maybe even the largest economy—bigger than the rest of America altogether. And believe me when I say this is possible: artificial intelligence and genetic editing will become some of the first multi-trillion dollar businesses in the near future.

We can do this, California, and it doesn’t have to be through stale blue or red political parties, which have left many of us aghast at the current world. It can be done through the libertarian philosophy of embracing all that is the most inventive and unbridled in us—and letting that pave the way forward. A challenging future awaits us, but we can meet it head on and lead the way not just for California and America, but for all of humanity.

Candidate Contact Info

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My Top 3 Priorities

do away with law that makes excellent citizens lock up their guns. have law that allows all f.b.i. vetted persons to carry a loaded weapon on their person.

i am pro-women 100%. have the same rights as the men. women alone are in control of their bodies....no freaks tell them right or wrong.

do away with open marijuna law and apply government marijuna law making possession a violation of the law.

Experience

Experience

Profession:doctor of psychology....teacher and administra

manteca city council and vice-mayor, manteca city council and vice-mayor — Elected position (1974–1977)

vice-mayor, served my country as a marine machine gunner in 3 wars.....against the japanese, koreans and vietcong — Elected position (1942–1975)

Education

MANY UNIVERSITIES OVER MANY YEARS — DOCTOR OF PSYCHOLOGY (PhD), PSYCHOLOGY (1975)

Who gave money to this candidate?

Contributions

More information about contributions

Source: MapLight analysis of data from the California Secretary of State.

Political Beliefs

Political Philosophy

I HAVE LIVED IN CALIFORNIA FOR 50 YEARS AND AT MY AGE OF 92 HAVE THE BENEFIT OF SERVING MY COMMUNITY AND COUNTRY AS A MARINE CORPS MACHINE GUNNER OF 3 WARS, CONTRACTED MALARIA ON GUADALCANAL, CITY COUNCILMAN AND VICE-MAYOR, DETECTIVE, POLICE OFFICER, OWNER OF 10 RENTALS AND 2 RANCHES AND SPENT 50 YEARS AS AN EDUCATOR HOLDING 3 UNIVERSITY DEGREES. I AM 2ND AMENDMENT POSITIVE, AND AS A DETERRENT TO CRIMINALS WILL FIGHT FOR ALL PERSONS VETTED BY THE F.B.I. AND NOT DRINKING TO CARRY LOADED GUNS, AM PRO-WOMEN'S RIGHTS AND WILL DO AWAY WITH ALL BRAIN DESTRUCTIVE DRUGS. CALIFORNIA AND AMERICA ARE IN A WAR WITH CRIMINALS WHO KILL OUR CHILDREN WITH IMPUNITY. I WILL FIGHT TO PROTECT YOUR CHILDREN FROM HARM AND USING MY MANY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE CONTINUE TO MAKE CALIFORNIA THE GOLDEN STATE AND NOT ALL0W IT TO TURN INTO A DRUG CARTELS STATE.

I HAVE NEVER BROUGHT DISHONOR UPON MY NAME AND I DO NOT ASK FOR YOUR MONEY ONLY THIS OPPORTUNITY FOR ME.....USING MY MANY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AND DEVOTION TO DUTY TO BE YOUR.....PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROTECTOR. PLEASE ELECT ALBERT MEZZETTI FOR BEST RESULTS.

Experience

Education

Biography

Transitioning his desire to make a change in the world through music as the rap artist known as QBall, to becoming the human rights activist “Governor Wildstar”, Libertarian candidate Nickolas Wildstar now pursues to make a change through politics. As the first Libertarian governor of any state in the US, Nickolas Wildstar seeks the opportunity to establish California as the foundation for a world free of poverty, conflict, and scarcity as ‘WE THE PEOPLE‘ have been demanding. This 20 year working class professional aims to minimize taxes, drastically reduce government’s wasteful spending, and restoring the right for citizens to make their own personal choices regarding education, healthcare, and our own bodies. Join Nickolas Wildstar and be sure to become part of this monumental opportunity to establish a true republic in this great democracy!

Who gave money to this candidate?

Contributions

Total money raised: $17,295

Top contributors that gave money to support the candidate, by organization:

1

Employees of Morning Star Company

$5,000

2

Employees of William H. Brickner, PhD

$4,000

3

Libertarian Party of California

$1,000

4

Employees of Mackintosh & Mackintosh, Inc.

$800

5

Employees of CEO

$250

More information about contributions

By State:

California 97.70%

Ohio 1.15%

Wisconsin 0.77%

Georgia 0.38%

97.70%

By Size:

Large contributions (75.35%)

Small contributions (24.65%)

75.35%24.65%

By Type:

From organizations (7.67%)

From individuals (92.33%)

92.33%

Source: MapLight analysis of data from the California Secretary of State.

Candidate Contact Info

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My Top 3 Priorities

Natural Disasters; Emergency Response

Ending Fracking

Sending a California Woman to Mars

Experience

Biography

"Neutrinos through me go,

My ego is my own amigo."

A significant part of this campaign is performed in verse; inspired by Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton), Snow tha Product, Les Miserables, and viewers like you.

If there were ever time for a play, this is that time.

I have puppets, a resonator guitar, and a burning desire for giving the voters of California a reason to look up. Next year is the 50th in the lunar era, and growing numbers of voters believe we never went to the moon at all, or that the earth is flat.

Let California lead the world back to our rightful place in the cosmos, as participants in exploration and pioneers into the future of mining and deflecting asteroids.

Who gave money to this candidate?

Contributions

More information about contributions

Source: MapLight analysis of data from the California Secretary of State.

Political Beliefs

Political Philosophy

Meteor Theory is the general idea that meteors are responsible for major events in the course of human civilization, notably in 2800 bc and 540 ad.

By understanding the damage and worldwide effects of an impact, we can pass on working, useful knowledge and survival stories to future humans as language evolves away from our ability to warn them.

Not if, but when arsenic rains into the freshwater supply, bread fails, and the stars disappear by atmospheric detritis, and our entire green energy grid is disabled, California might be able to mitigate the damage, having recognized before others that we are a human system with limited funds on a ball of rock floating in space.

Candidate Contact Info

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My Top 3 Priorities

Invest in affordable housing, emergency shelters and supportive services to help keep people out of poverty. I will make the wealthy will pay their fair share, cut taxes for the working class and reform Prop. 13.

Invest in public education, early childhood education, K-12, special education, hold charter schools accountable to state standards and free four year community college.

Pass Single Payer to stop people from going bankrupt, losing their homes, businesses and their retirement money because their insurance keeps canceling them.

Experience

Biography

Klement Tinaj is 28-years old and lives in Los Angeles, CA. Mr. Tinaj received his Masters Degree in 2015 and now he is running for Governor of Califorina (D). As a CEO, Mr. Tinaj knows first hand that we need to invest in jobs and the economy. We must stop pushing away small bussinesses who employ more than 50% of our local residents. Higher taxes and too many regulations are destroying our economy and pushing our working class people out of the state.

As a School owner, Mr. Tinaj knows that giving tax breaks to the wealthy forces us to cut afterschool programs, early childhood education programs, social security and job training. As the governor, Mr. Tinaj is commited to investing in public education including early childhood education, K-12, Special Education and Free-Four Year Community College. As an Educator, Mr. Tinaj knows that California needs at least 1.1 million educated workers by 2030 to keep our economy moving forward.

Mr. Tinaj is a bright new leader with the vision and powerful voice who is willing to fight for single payer, affordable housing, 100% Renewable Energy, Cut Taxes, Reform Justice, Fix our education, balance the budgets and save for the future. For more information please check out his "Ten-Point Action Plan" on his website: www.KlementTinajForGovernor.com.

His goal is to inspire the young, give hope to the working class and a voice to the voiceless. Mr. Tinaj quoted "I want my students to look at me and be like, if my teacher can do it, I can do it. I will bring back the benefits and healthcare programs to the eldery and our veterans. I will veto any tax increase that will come across my desk and invest in jobs and our economy. I will help people out of poverty, invest in the working class and help small bussinesses survive. To my classmates and other college students who are leaving Califorina or who are struggling to pay for thier college, here is my message to you. As your next governor I will make all 114 community colleges free so you and your friends can sit in your dorm room and follow the same steps of the man who started facebook from his Harvard dorm room. For those students who are one step away from being homeless, facing poverty or can't afford to live on campus becasue of the skyrocketing tuitions and you live in your parents house. You can follow the same steps of those two college students who started the greatest computer firm from their parents garage behind thier house".

"As your governor I pledge to fight for your future, libery, justice and equal opportuity for all. It's time to act now to build a better tomorrow. "

Who gave money to this candidate?

Contributions

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Source: MapLight analysis of data from the California Secretary of State.

Political Beliefs

Political Philosophy

Tinaj released his "Ten-Point Action Plan" coverning the issuess that matters the most to our communities:

2. HEALTH CARE FOR ALL-Pass Single Payer and stop people from filing bankruptcy, losing their homes, losing their business, and spending their retirement money to get healthcare because their insurance refuses an ultrasound and the insurance cancels.-Stops discrimination based on your age or current health status.-Ensure health care that is affordable for every Californian.

3. WATER TECHNOLOGY-Maintain our service and underground water.-Maintain our water supplies, recycling supplies, reservoirs and completing the state water project.-Invest in Water Technology because wasted water from our leaky pipes is skyrocketing our economy.

5. REFORM THE EDUCATION SYSTEM-Invest in Early Childhood Education.-Invest in Public Schools and Special Education.-Hold Charter Schools Accountable to meet States Standards.-Free-Four Year Community College.

6. JUSTICE REFORM-A Fair Social, Economic and Criminal Justice for all.-Stop “additional and considerable” threats to law enforcement.-Proper training for law enforcement.-Stop the war between poverty and racial justice.-Reform Prop. 47, Prop. 57, and AB 109 to stop human trafficking, rapes, murders, repeatoffenders and other violent crimes in our communities.

9. JOBS & ECONOMY-We must STOP chasing jobs and small businesses away.-We must reform our current taxes and regulations to keep jobs and workers.-We must invest in Energy – (solar, wind and renewable energy) creates more jobs, makes our nation’s power supplies more secure, and also reduces our dependence on dirty fossil fuels.-We must invest in Water Technology – creates more jobs and puts a long-overdue stopper in our wasteful water systems.-We must invest in Public Transit – creates more construction jobs, solves the trafficproblem and helps people get to work on time with fewer costs.-We must invest in Agriculture Industries who employees hundreds of thousands of people, by investing in water technology because leaky pipes and poor agriculture irrigation is not the bright future for our agriculture industries.-Invest in small businesses, who employees about 50% of the state private work force.-Invest in more education and health care facilities, to build on a work force educated by quality employment, educational and economic opportunities.-Invest in growing the economy, creating jobs for the working class and raise the livingstandards for all.-I believe in public investment that grows the economy for a long run and not short-term programs.